Contributors to this thread:
I have an older recurve that has a 28 inch draw lenght and I am giving it to a young man who is taller than I am can he use 30 inch arrows?
If his draw length is 32" like mine it's not a good idea.
I always go to Halls Archery and ask the experts to match my arrows to my bow, to be safe and shoot straight.
The marked length of 28" is the draw distance at which the bow reaches it's marked poundage. Almost all adult traditional bows are rated at the 28" standard.
The length of the arrows a shooter uses are dependent on the personal draw length and the performance of the bow/arrow combination. Some shooters only want about an inch of arrow protruding beyone the back of the bow at full draw. Therefore, they must experiment with different arrow spines/point weights and changing the brace height to achieve perfect arrow flight.
I tune for the best possible flight with a 125gn point. At this time I shoot a 55# bow, 2016 aluminium shafts, 3-5.5" feather fletch, and the shaft extends about 3" beyond the back of the bow.
The length of the bow is important if the shooter draws beyond the 28". The poundage increases about 3# for every inch beyond the 28". A longer bow will be smooth to draw and not create finger pinch at full draw. For anyone with a draw length beyond 28", I would suggest the bow be at least 60", for better performance and comfort.
Oh yeah, the draw length is measured from the anchor point, where the nock of the arrow stops, to the web of the hand holding the bow, at full draw.
To measure,you can have the shooter hold the arrow with a split finger draw(arrow between the index and longest finger), to the anchor point, and rest the arrow on the web of the other hand, between the thumb and index finger, which would hold the bow.
I never heard of a recurve having a specific draw length but rather a specific poundage, which is like Bill said the rated weight at 28 inches back, however that is measured. I was always under the impression that for anything beyond that 28 inch mark the poundage is exponentially increased as draw length increases.
I think the lb changes about 2lb a in
I'm thinking that for the first maybe inch or so it may be a few pounds but pulling farther the next inch may be more than double that etc. I'm no psychics expert though. I would think that the farther you flex the bow past where it is designed to be optimal at, the poundage would be exponentially increased over distance pulled back till something gives. Kind of like breaking a branch.
Thanks guys I brought the recurve in the mid 70s from a deptment store and was never taught about draw length till I got my first compound in 1979.The bow is a gift to a14 year old in montana .
Yukon,
be careful with an old recurve, they will explode on you. I owned a brand new Damon Howitt (spelling?) and after about 6 years and a 4 inch over draw the bow explodes while shooting at Hall's Archery. I was lucky not to get shards stuck in my arms or face.
Thanks BBB I'll pass that info on to the parents of the boy thats getting the bow.It is on a truck as I speak on its way out west.I'm alittle jealous of the bows new home near the Bob Marshall wilderness area.
Nice! I would have delivered it for him. Been out west twice and it's a whole new world of hunting out there.
